Unemployment Rate Falls Again, But Job Growth Still Sluggish

The Labor Department has reported that national unemployment has dropped to its lowest level in nearly two years. The data, which was released on Feb. 4, revealed that the jobless rate fell to 9 percent in January.

The jobless rate has fallen by eight-tenths of a percentage point in the last two months, which is the sharpest decline in more than 50 years. However, the agency conducted a separate survey of businesses that showed lackluster job growth. This reveals that many people who were previously looking for jobs stopped their search last month, thus the government did not include them in their unemployment data.

Approximately 950,000 net new jobs were added in 2010, the report says. This number is down from the previous estimate of 1.1 million. In 2008 and 2009, the recession led to the loss of about 8 million jobs in America. An average of about 83,000 net jobs per month have been generated in the last three months, which is not enough to keep up with the nation's population growth.

Republican lawmakers have stated that job creation will be addressed after Congress tackles Obamacare and other social issues such as abortion. According to The Associated Press, Democrats have criticized the GOP for avoiding job-related issues following their midterm campaigns in which they emphasized the need to reduce the unemployment rate.

Representative Tom Cole (R-Okla.) defended his party, telling the news provider that his colleagues are following through on "commitments we made" by addressing healthcare and abortion.

Post navigation

Special To Personal Liberty

You Sound Off! is written by our readers and appears the last Wednesday of each month. If you would like to submit an article or letter to the editor for consideration for You Sound Off!, send it to yousoundoff@personalliberty.com by the Friday before the last Wednesday of the month. To be considered, a submission should be 750 words or less and must include the writer's name, address and a telephone number. Only the writer's name will be published. Anonymous submissions will not be considered.

Join the Discussion

Comment Policy: We encourage an open discussion with a wide range of viewpoints, even extreme ones, but we will not tolerate racism, profanity or slanderous comments toward the author(s) or comment participants. Make your case passionately, but civilly. Please don't stoop to name calling. We use filters for spam protection. If your comment does not appear, it is likely because it violates the above policy or contains links or language typical of spam. We reserve the right to remove comments at our discretion.

Thegovernment’s assault on your personal liberties, including transgressions by the NSA and IRS, proves NOTHING IS OFF-LIMITS! But they’re not your only enemy. In your FREE copy of The Ultimate Privacy Guide discover simple, effective strategies for making Big Business and Big Government BUTT OUT of your personal life!

We will not sell or rent your email address to anyone for any reason. You can un-subscribe at any time.

Look Inside The Ultimate Privacy Guide

The unconstitutional assault on America's civil liberties is continuing with fanatical vigor thanks to the government's gross misuse of power, including transgressions by the NSA and IRS. NOTHING IS OFF-LIMITS! Government SPYING and MANIPULATION is now becoming the American way. But they’re not your only enemy. In your FREE copy of The Ultimate Privacy Guide you'll discover how to: